The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-10-09
REMARKS FROM WILLIAM NYE.
He Writes a Short Piece" on HOte


America has made many gigantic
strides, aside from those made at the
battle of Bull run, and her people spend
much of their time pointing with pride to
her remarkable progress, but we are
prone to dwell too much upon our adj
vantages as a summer resort and our
| adroit methods of declining the presi-
dency before we are asked, while We for
get some of our more important improve
ments, like the elevated railway and the
American hotel.
Let us. for a moment, look at the great
changes that have been wrought in hotels
during the past century. How marked
has been the improvement and how Won
derful the advancement. Everything has
been changed. Even the towels have
been changed
Electric bells, consisting of long and
alert wire with an overcoat button at one
end and reticent boy at the other, have
taken the place of the human voice and
| low-browed, red elm club. Where once
we were compelled to fall down a dark,
narrow staircase, now We can 60 down
the elevator or wander down the wrong
stairway and find ourselves in the laun-
dry.
Where once we were mortified by being
and stab a porous pancake with our fork,
meantime wiping the milk gravy out of
large yellow bowl with our coat tails,
now we can hire a tall, 1.-the gentleman
in full-dress suit to pass us the pam
cakes.
Even the bar rooms of American hotels
are changed. Once the bartender waited
till his customers ran all his remarks into
one long, hoarse word, with a hiccough
on the end, and then he took him by the
collar and threw him out into the cold
and chaotic night. Now the bartender
gradually rises on the price OF drinks
until his customer is frozen out, and
while he has gone to the reading room to
borrow some more money the chemist
moves the bar somewhere else, and when
| the guest returns he finds barber shop
where he thought he left a bar-room.
1 One hundred years, on their swift pin
ions, have borne away the big and earnest
dinner bell and the sway-backed hair
trunk that surprised man so when he
sat down upon it to consider what clothes
he would put on first.
All these evidences of our crude, en-
bryotic existence are gone, and in their
places we have electric bells and Saratoga
trunks wherein We may conceal our hotel
room and still have space left for our
clothes.
1t is very rare now that we see United
States senator shaking a two -year-oid
Mambrino hair trunk up three flights of
stairs to his room in order TO secure a
labor vote. Men, as well as hotels and
hotel soap, have changed. Where once q
cake of soap would only lest a few weeks,
science has come in and perfected style
of pink soap, favored with vanilla, that
will last for years, and new slipperyelm
towel that is absolutely impreyious TO
moisture. Hand in hand, this soap and
towel 90 gaily down the corridors of time,
welcoming the coming and speeding the
parting guest, jumping deftly out of the
/! hands of the aristocracy into the hands
of receiver, but always calm, smooth
and latherless.
A great many droll characters and
bright, shewd men are met with among
hotel proprietors wherever you go. Mr..
Griswold, "The Fat Contributor" was
lecturing once in the state of Kentucky,
and had occasion to take dinner at a
six-bit hotel. After the meal Mr.. Girls
void stepped up to the counter, took out
a bale of bank-notes, which he had re-
ceived for his lecture the evening before,
and asked what might be the damage.
"Three dollars" said the blue grass
gentleman, who had buttoned his collar
with tenpenny nail, while he looked at
"Gris'' with pained expression.
"Yes, but a man ought TO be able to
board here a week for So. The whole
house didn't cost more than $40 or S45
What's your idea in charging me s. for q
wad of hominy and a piece of parched
pork?"
swell, sir,' said the urbane landlord
as he put out the fire at distance OF
twenty feet by emptying his salivary sur
plus on it, 81 need the money!
The frankness and open, candid man
ner of the man won Mr.. Griswold, and be
asked him if he thought 50 would be
enough. The landlord said he could GET
along with that. Then Griswold opened
his valise and took out large brunette
bottle of liniment marked ''for external
use." He passed it over to the landlord
and told him that he would find this stuff
!: worked as well on the inside as it did on
the outside. In few moments the lini-
ment of the "Fat Contributor" and the
| lineaments of the landlord had merged
into each other, and friendly feeling
sprang up between the two men which
time has never effaced. / have Otter
thought of this and wondered why il is
that hotel men are not more open and
cordial with their guests. Many time
have paid large bill grudgingly when
would have done it cheerfully if the land.
lord had told me he was in need.
! had intended to speak at some length
on the new rope law, by which every man
is made his own vigilance committee, but
/ feel that / am already encroaching on
the advertising space and so will have to
omit it. In conclusion, will saythat
the American hotels are far preferable
to those we have in Paris in many ways
and not only outstrip those of England
and the continent, even as a corps dc
ballet outstrips Toboggan club, but
they seem to excel and everlastingly
knock the ancient hotels of Carthage
Rome and Tie Siding silly.